


To Shelter

by luvsanime02



Series: Delete Winter [18]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Clearing the air, Gen, Language, adopting a pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 21:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3910516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvsanime02/pseuds/luvsanime02
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikasa and Levi have a much-needed talk and adopt a pet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Shelter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



**Disclaimer:** I don’t own Shingeki no Kyojin. That honor belongs to Isayama-sensei. I’m making no profit off of this fic.

########

 **To Shelter** by luvsanime02

########

When Mikasa comes home from school, Levi is already there, waiting for her. This is unusual, because he usually has to work until later, almost suppertime, before he closes for the day. At first, she’s apprehensive. Has something happened to Eren? But one look at Levi’s relaxed posture on the couch lets her dismiss that notion.

“You’re home,” is all she says. Mikasa’s isn’t one for much talking. Neither is Levi. Both of them feel Eren’s absence keenly, but he’d been the one to suggest the juvenile rehab center that he was currently staying at. He’d be home soon. Until then, though, Mikasa and Levi were on their own.

“Yeah,” Levi agrees. His head tilts slightly to the side as he watches her hang up her coat. “School okay?”

Mikasa shrugs in answer. In truth, she doesn’t want to think about it right now. Mikasa has spent Eren’s absence looking into who could have given him those drugs. What she’s found out isn’t pretty. Apparently, a gang called Titan has its teeth in a decent portion of the student body, including some of Mikasa and Eren’s friends.

Mikasa plans on telling Levi everything she’s uncovered. He’ll work out how to shut down the gang, she knows. But not just yet. She’s still off-balance from learning the truth about some of the people that she’d recently started trusting despite her better judgment.

Levi stands up and motions to her coat. “Put that back on,” he says. “We’re going out.”

Mikasa does, and follows Levi quietly. “We’re not going to see Eren.” She knows this. Visitors are allowed on the weekends only.

They get into the car before Levi replies. “No, the brat will have to take care of himself for a bit longer.” Mikasa smiles into her scarf. “We’re going somewhere else.”

It’s obvious to her that Levi doesn’t want to say where just yet, and that’s fine by Mikasa. She’s not worried. Instead, she passes the time by watching snow fall down lightly from the sky. It’s cold out, but the heat’s on in the car, and she’s warm.

Mikasa blinks in surprise, though, when they stop in front of what looks like an animal shelter. She turns to Levi, askance. He has the car parked, but the engine’s still running and he’s looking down at his hands gripping the steering wheel.

After a minute, he sighs quietly and looks over at her. “I’m sorry.”

Mikasa lets that sit between them for a minute, and then says, “For what?” She honestly doesn’t know. Levi looks tired, and she’s reminded again of how old he is when she looks at the lines around his eyes.

“For not knowing until it was too late. For not being someone you could go to first.”

She freezes. He’s talking about the day that she almost killed herself, and did kill the baby developing inside of her. Mikasa swallows hard, but her voice is calm. “I trust you,” she says, because that seems to be the most important thing to mention first.

Levi blinks. “Do you?” he asks, though not accusingly. Mikasa suspects that, like her and Eren, Levi too has trust issues.

She nods solemnly. “It wasn’t about not trusting you. It’s just-” She doesn’t know what to say. “I didn’t want Eren to ever find out,” she admits, finally.

Levi hums just under his breath. “That was cowardly of you.”

Mikasa nods in agreement, and doesn’t flinch. It’s the truth. Instead, she waits for Levi to tell her why they’re parked outside of a shelter, talking about this now, of all times.

Levi drums his fingers on the wheel. “Sometimes, I feel like a coward too,” he admits. This does surprise her. “I knew all along that you and Eren were still having sex. I just didn’t say anything because I didn’t want the issue to turn into a big confrontation.” Levi runs a hand through his hair. “I never even thought about protection.”

Mikasa laughs, just a little, and it’s Levi’s turn to look at her startled, but she can’t help it. It feels wonderful to laugh, even when talking about something that still pains her so deeply. “It’s not your fault,” she explains, gently, after she’s done. She gets it now. “Eren and I have been fucking up our lives years before we met you, and we’ll probably do it a lot more in the future too.”

“Joy,” Levi mutters, but his lips are curled upwards ever-so-slightly. Then his face turns serious again. “You two are codependent as hell, but you know that. Just- I feel useless enough sometimes, without you two shutting me out when shit happens to you until it’s time for the clean-up.”

Mikasa’s eyes flicker to the ends of Levi’s sleeves, where on the left one she can see the edge of a faint line starting on his wrist and then disappearing further up under the fabric. She bites her lip. She and Eren haven’t asked, but they’ve both noticed the scars on Levi’s arms. He’s seen them looking, she’s sure, but he’s never said a word about them. Still, she knows what they are.

“You too,” she blurts out. Levi raises an eyebrow at her in confusion. “Don’t just keep everything bottled up inside. Tell Eren and me when we’re being impossible.”

“But then I’d never stop talking,” Levi quipped, but then nodded at her. “Yeah, yeah, I get the point. All of us have to learn to speak the fuck up if something’s wrong before it explodes in our faces.”

Mikasa nods, and remembers what she found out today. “Speaking of, I need to talk to you later,” she admits. “But right now, why are we here?”

Levi looks around, as though noticing for the first time where they are. He finally turns off the engine and opens his door, Mikasa taking that as her cue to get out too. “Feel like adopting a cat?” he asks her casually, as though he’s not already walking towards the door of the building.

Mikasa turns the idea over in her mind while she follows him, and smiles. “Eren prefers dogs,” she mentions, purposely offhand.

Levi snorts. “Good thing the brat’s not here, then.” Mikasa nods in agreement.

Together, they walk in out of the cold. Ten minutes later, they leave with a small carrier and a tiny, black kitten with green eyes. Mikasa names her Carla.


End file.
